It was supposed to be a friendly town hall for Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Instead, it turned into an absolute meltdown the moment Kaitlan Collins dared to ask a simple question: Would AOC challenge Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in 2028?
The conversation turned when Collins pressed AOC on whether Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer might be supporting the ongoing government shutdown to fend off a primary challenge from the left. Ocasio-Cortez angrily dismissed the idea as absurd and desperate. She accused Republicans of deflecting from their own failures by focusing on political gossip instead of real issues like health care, wages, and the environment, and she scolded Speaker Mike Johnson for wasting time on “silly” distractions rather than helping his constituents.
It wasn’t a denial, and Collins knew that and inquired again.
“But are you saying that Senator Schumer should not be worried about a primary challenge from you?” she asked.
That’s when things really went off the rails.
Ocasio-Cortez immediately froze, stammering through her response. “I mean, no, I don’t think this is about anything…” she said awkwardly before Sanders leapt in like a stage parent trying to rescue a panicked performer.
“Let me jump in on this one,” Sanders interjected. “See, Kaitlan—”
Before he could finish, AOC cut him off, her voice rising. “This is what we’re talking about!” she shouted. Sanders and AOC then both kept talking over each other, but they were clearly flustered and looking for a way out of answering the question.
Then Bernie fully lost his composure and began yelling at the audience. “You have a country that is falling apart!” he thundered. “We have a housing crisis, a health care crisis, an education crisis, massive income and wealth inequality, a corrupt campaign finance system. And the media says, 'Are you going to run?' What are you going to run for?”
“Nobody cares!” he shouted.
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Right on cue, Ocasio-Cortez echoed him, yelling the same line like a protest chant.
The scene quickly unraveled into chaotic crosstalk as Kaitlan Collins tried to steer the conversation back, reminding them that “It’s the House speaker and President Trump and the vice president saying it.”
That’s when Sanders turned his attention to CNN itself — and, predictably, to capitalism. “And, here, we will tell you what the real issue is. Let’s see if CNN talks about it,” he said pointedly.
From there, he launched into a classic Sanders tirade about how terrible our country is and insisted on a topic change.
“We’re living in the richest country in the history of the world, right? All right, you tell me why we’re the only nation not to guarantee health care to all people, the only nation not to guarantee paid family and medical leave, why we have a $7.25-an-hour minimum wage, why we have 800,000 people sleeping out on the street, why we have a president who denies the reality of climate change, why we have oligarchs on top who have more and more power every day. Let’s talk about that issue — not her own political future. She will decide that.”
AOC and Bernie have a full-blown melt down when asked if Chuck Schumer should be worried about primary challenge from AOC.
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) October 16, 2025
It’s so happening. pic.twitter.com/95HcWo6Naf
It was an unhinged performance, more like a marriage counseling session than a town hall. Rather than simply say “No,” AOC and Sanders launched into a tag-team rant against the media, capitalism, and Donald Trump. It was a reflexive deflection that perfectly illustrates how fragile and defensive the progressive left has become.
All to avoid answering the question.
The irony, of course, is that Collins’ question wasn’t unfair. Talk has been swirling for months about whether AOC might take on Schumer, especially given how often she’s criticized him for being too “moderate” and too willing to work with Republicans. But instead of simply closing down the issue, she and Bernie got angry, making it very clear that they both know something and were trying to hide it.
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